Windows 8 – No More “Start” Button?

The Verge is reporting that Windows 8 will be dropping the “Start” button. This will be interesting, as the Start button has been in all Windows iterations since Windows 95. It remains to be seen whether there will be an option to re-enable the Start button, whether officially or via a registry hack.

I personally have mixed feelings about MetroUI. I have had a chance to use it on a phone (via Windows Phone 7.5), tablet (ASUS EeeSlate EP121), and desktop. While MetroUI works well with touch-based devices, it just feels awkward on traditional mouse and keyboard computers. With this latest change, the push towards MetroUI as the dominant UI is ever more present, with the “legacy” Windows desktop seemingly taking a diminished role in Windows 8.

Windows 8 is still in development, but as the ETA for the Windows 8 Beta is on track for the end of February (with retail release being towards the end of 2012), we will get a chance to see what other changes Microsoft has made to Windows 8 since the release of the Windows Developer Preview build.